The blog of Carnival’s Senior Cruise Director John Heald has been named Best Cruise Line Blog in Porthole Cruise Magazine’s 2011 Editor-in-Chief Awards.

Selected by Porthole’s Editor-in-Chief Bill Panoff, the annual awards are designed to recognize excellence in the cruise and travel industries.

Launched in March 2007 in conjunction with the debut of the Carnival Freedom, Heald’s blog has grown to become cruising’s most popular blog, with more than 8 million visitors to date.

Thousands of readers check in daily to read his humorous take on shipboard life, interviews with cruise industry personnel, and other fun features.

The blog’s popularity has even spawned an annual Bloggers Cruise which offers fans an opportunity to sail with Heald and participate in a variety of fun on-board activities. The fourth installment of the series will take place on the Carnival Glory in February 2011.